72 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



dustry in central Alaska — the Alaska Sea Products (Inc.), Northern 

 Seafood Co., and Ed Pfister, all of Cordova. Employment was given 

 to 67 whites, 7 Filipinos, and 1 Mexican. Products consisted of 

 99,957 pounds of cold-packed meat, valued at $39,078, 522 dozen 

 crabs in the shell, valued at $884, and 263 cases canned (forty-eight 

 }^-pound cans to the case), valued at $2,104. The total value of 

 products in 1931 was $42,066, as compared with $35,397 in 1930— 

 an increase of approximately 19 per cent. 



JAPANESE VESSELS IN BERING SEA 



Crab-canning operations were again carried on in Bering Sea by 

 Japanese fishing interests, whose activities were largely of an experi- 

 mental nature. No report has been received by the bureau as to the 

 amount of the product secured by them in these waters in 1931. The 

 floating crab cannery Nagato Alaru spent some three months in the 

 district, where its launches were observed operating about 5 miles 

 northwest of Unimak Island, in the ^^cinity of Amak Island, and far- 

 ther to the eastward in the same general locality as the Taihoku Maru 

 operated during the previous year. The trawder Kokusai Maru also 

 was in the Bering Sea region for a number of weeks, making stops at 

 Attn, Atka, and Unalaska. It is understood that the cruise of the 

 latter vessel was primarily in connection with a proposed good-will 

 visit of Japanese fliers to this country, but that attention also was 

 given to conditions affecting the fisheries. 



TROUT 



Trout operations in southeastern Alaska in 1931 w^ere incidental to 

 other branches of the fishery industry, while in the central district a 

 small output was reported by independent operators who gave emplo}^- 

 ment to four white fishermen. The products were as follows: Dolly 

 Vardens, 49,797 pounds fresh, valued at $4,975; 6,502 pounds frozen, 

 valued at $469; and 400 pounds pickled, valued at $36; steelheads, 

 6,155 pounds fresh, valued at $458; 21,220 pounds frozen, valued at 

 $688 ; and 72 cases, or 3,456 pounds, canned, valued at $576. The total 

 production of both species was 87,530 pounds, valued at $7,202, as 

 compared with 98,246 pounds valued at $12,084 in 1930 — a decrease 

 of about 11 per cent in quantity and 40 per cent in value. 



MISCELLANEOUS FISHERY PRODUCTS 



Several species of fish of minor commercial importance are taken in 

 small quantities, chiefly in connection with the halibut fishery, and 

 are landed at ports of Alaska and British Columbia and at Seattle. 

 Such products landed in Alaska in 1931 were as follows: Sablefish, 

 1,110 pounds fresh, valued at $30, and 278,235 pounds frozen, valued 

 at $13,256; rockfishes, 4,451 pounds fresh, valued at $134, and 18,468 

 pounds frozen, valued at $543; flounders, 210,000 pounds fresh, 

 valued at $5,250, and 65,172 pounds frozen, valued at $1,637; "lin^- 

 cod," 526 pounds frozen, valued at $16; and smelt, 1,340 pounds 

 fresh, valued at $80. Most of the flounders were used in Alaska for 

 mink feed. The smelt production shown herein was reported from 

 central Alaska, and the remaining products from southeastern Alaska. 



